NATCHITOCHES – Many High School senior Cooper Miller signed a scholarship commitment to join the Northwestern State University Fishing Team Thursday and will attend the university this fall. He was joined by his mother Avery Garcie and stepfather Darrin Dyess for the signing, along with administrators, staff and students from MHS and representatives from Northwestern.
“We’ve got a lot of good students from Many High School, academically and athletically,” said NSU President Dr. Chris Maggio. “NSU’s bass fishing team has had national qualifiers. This is a growing team with scholarships available.”
“We’re glad to have Cooper be a part of our program,” said Juddy Hamous, NSU Fishing Team sponsor. “We’re building a program of national champions.”
Dyess said he first put Miller in a boat when he was in diapers and over the years has watched him develop into a fisherman motivated by competition. MHS Acting Principal Moses Curtis described Miller as a good student, a good person and a good ambassador for Many High School. Miller will major in engineering technology and will work in the NSU Recruiting Office as a student ambassador, greeting prospective students and their families and helping with recruiting events.
The NSU Fishing Team has about 14 members, according to Hamous, and is open to all NSU students. The club sport taps into the popularity of organized competitive bass fishing and competes in FLW, B.A.S.S. and Collegiate Bass circuits. The NSU team appeals to anglers because of the attractive waterways in the area, including Toledo Bend, Red River, Cane River and Black Lake.
The scholarship was made possible and funded by the Dylan Poche Memorial Scholarship fund. The Poche family of Natchitoches annually sponsors the Dylan Kyle Poche Memorial Bass Fishing Tournament on Toledo Bend, set this year for March 27. Funds raised from the tournament go towards the scholarship and support of the NSU Fishing Team.
For more information on the NSU Fishing Team, email Hamous at juddyh@nsula.edu or call (318) 332-0565. Information on the upcoming Dylan Kyle Poche Memorial Bass Tournament is available at https://dylankylepoche.com/2021-dylan-kyle-poche-memorial-bass-tournament/.
